The ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs has kept suspended disbursement of the salary and allowances of six deputy attorneys-general (DAGs) for around two years, leaving them in grave uncertainty.
Md Golam Mostafa, one of the DAGs, recently wrote to the law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister seeking his immediate step to resume disbursement of his salary and allowances, and pay the arrears.
According to the letter, the six DAGs were appointed to the position on January 4, 2018 through a memo, bearing number 06/solicitor/2009-2016, of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
The letter said, “The term of my job as a Deputy Attorney General was extended through another memo (bearing number 06/solicitor/2009-76) published on July 21, 2019. And accordingly I rejoined the service a day later, on July 22, which the Attorney General’s Office accepted.
“But I was given salary and other benefits as the Deputy Attorney General only until June 30, 2019. The disbursement of my salary and benefits has remained halted since July 1, 2019.”
The other DAGs are Khondker Bashir Ahmed, Mohammad Mostafa Jamal, Rafi Ahmed, Md Monowar Hossain and AKM Daudur Rahman Mina.
The DAGs said neither former Attorney General Mahbubey Alam nor his successor AM Amin Uddin solved the matter despite repeated correspondence and reminders.
“That’s why I wrote to the minister as a last resort,” said one of them.
The lawyer said the inaction of the Attorney General Office and Solicitor’s Office at the law ministry has created two-prong problems – the DAGs are not getting their salary while the State is being deprived of their services.